Transborder Cooperation, Regional Initiatives, and Sovereignty Conflicts in Western Europe: The Case of the Upper Rhine Valley

Abstract

Transborder cooperation in Western Europe has made considerable progress. Primarily because of the activities of local groups, such as the Regio Basiliensis, and the support of international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the Upper Rhine Valley and other European border regions have succeeded in voicing their interests in afairly cohesive manner. However, the continued emphasis of national governments on sovereignty and national interests has prevented international border regions from achieving such basic goals as infrastructure integration and harmonization of environmental policy. Present forms of transborder political activity have been insufficient to overcome conflicts between regional needs and national interests. For this and other reasons, European border regions have resorted to new local economic and political initiatives to argue more forcefully for border region demands. In pooling the combined resources of its Swiss, French, and German participants, the Upper Rhine Program of Innovation might well serve as a model for this kind of regional initiative, perhaps setting a precedent for future forms of transborder political activity.